JULIA Barretto and Joshua Garcia are marking their 10th year as on-screen partners with another reunion film, “Always Yours, Never Mine.”
During the film’s media grand launch on Thursday, Sept. 18, writer Vanessa Valdez pointed out that it has been a decade since the two first appeared together in a movie.
“As I’m watching that [trailer], I just realized it’s their 10th year,” Valdez said.
“Yes, since ‘Vince and Kath,’” Barretto replied as she and Garcia held hands.
Garcia and Barretto first teamed up in the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival entry “Vince & Kath & James,” where they played college students who become romantically involved. The film marked the beginning of their JoshLia screen pairing.
They went on to star together in “Love You to the Stars and Back” (2017), “Unexpectedly Yours” (2017), “I Love You, Hater” (2018), “Block Z” (2020), and “Un/Happy For You” (2024).
Their first reunion film “Un/Happy For You,” directed by Petersen Vargas, opened with P20.5 million in ticket sales on its first day, according to Star Cinema. It later reached the P200-million mark in Philippine box-office gross.
Asked what has kept their chemistry natural after a decade of working together, Garcia said it comes from simply responding to each other as actors.
Barretto added that their familiarity with each other has allowed them to be comfortable while working together. The pair dated in real life until their separation in 2019.
“Always Yours, Never Mine” is directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana, with a story by Olivia Lamasan, Trishtan Perez and Valdez.
The film also brings together actors from different networks, including Kapuso actress Bianca Umali, who is making her first movie with Star Cinema.
The film also marks Miss Philippines Earth 2025 Joy Barcoma’s movie debut.
Also part of the cast are veteran actress Chanda Romero, Karen Reyes, Bob Jbeili, Migs Almendras, Ina Raymundo, Franco Laurel, Reign Parani, Paulo Angeles, Paolo Gumabao and Jan Silverio.
The film follows the lives of lovers Apollo (Garcia) and Luna (Barretto) across a 30-year span from their youth to middle age.
“Always Yours, Never Mine” is scheduled to open in Philippine cinemas on Sept. 30. (Jessica Ann Evangelista © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
